


Aftermath

by ashistrash



Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Budding Love, Dante is kinda horny but he drinks that respect Lady juice, Developing Friendships, F/M, Light Angst, Mentions of Arkham but that's it, Post-Devil May Cry 3, Romantic Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-07-31 13:13:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20115658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashistrash/pseuds/ashistrash
Summary: She really was something else. And for some ungodly reason, she'd decided to take the name he'd simply thrown at her with no thought whatsoever.





	Aftermath

**Author's Note:**

> been wanting to write a little something for the end of dmc3 for a while, and i finally got the energy to do it! im still in dxl hell.

Pitiful squeals and cries could be heard as Lady drove the blade of Kalina Ann through the chest of the last remaining demon. Together, the two of them had cleared out the demons still left over from the disaster that was the Temen-ni-gru; Dante was glad to finally be rid of them -- the stench of blood still lingered in the air, though whether it was from the disintegrating demon corpses or himself, he really wasn't sure. He raised an arm to quickly sniff the armpit of his coat.

Yup. Blood _and_ sweat. Lots of sweat. Not that it was really that much of a problem, it wasn't like he was out to impress any cute girls right at this moment, and he certainly wasn't about to attempt to impress a girl who was 1) definitely not emotionally available at present, and 2) had already rejected him once. 

They're past the whole _'Lady shooting him in the head as soon as he tries speaking to her'_ thing at least, he thinks.

His thoughts were interrupted by a heavy sigh coming from Lady, as she slowly pulled Kalina Ann from the quickly-decaying body of the demon. Dante could see it in her eyes; she was tired, right down to her core. But there was something else, too. Something yelling -- no, screaming from the rooftops _'I AM FREE'_. It was mesmerizing, and it filled Dante with a feeling he couldn't quite put his finger on.

Her dark brows weren't furrowed into her usual scowl, and there was a smattering of blood across her left cheek that she hadn't seemed to notice, or care about. The small crimson pendant that hung around her neck rose and fell with her small chest as she breathed heavily, still recovering from exerting the last little bit of energy she had to finish off the remaining demons. Her white shirt was stained all over with blood (_That'll be a bitch to get out_, Dante thought) and clung to her petite muscular frame, still damp from the rain (He wouldn't let his eyes wonder to where you could see her sports bra through her wet shirt, he owed her at least that much). Fresh scars, bruises and other wounds we scattered along her pale thighs, but she'd carried on as if they didn't exist.

Everything about her, right from the first moment he laid eyes on her, screamed fire and passion and drive. It's what drew him to her -- what was currently drawing him to her -- and what made him want to fight on.

She really was something else. And for some ungodly reason, she'd decided to take the name he'd simply thrown at her with no thought whatsoever.

The half devil slipped Ebony and Ivory back into their respected holsters and made his way to where she stood, Kalina Ann propped up at an angle so she could slump against it slightly.

"Hey, Crazy Lady," Dante called, "Y'know, you should probably change that sometime soon." He said, gesturing to the bloodied bandage wrapped around her right thigh.

Lady rolled her eyes. "Yeah, _Crazy Bastard_, I know." She looked down at her thigh, heart clenching at the memory of Arkham stabbing her with her own weapon. "I would've been able to do that now, but _someone_ decided it'd be a great idea to use my bike as a fucking weapon, which happened to have the rest of my supplies strapped to it."

He winced. "Yeah, yeah, alright, I get it. I already said I'd pay you back for it, didn't I?"

"Pfffft, yeah, riiiiight. With what money?"

"Uh, the money I'll make from running my super awesome demon hunting busin -- _fuck!_" Dante's cocky attitude dissolved just as fast as the smug grin slipped from his face when he remembered the state his shop had been left in. "_Fuck!_" He yelled again before bolting in the direction of his nameless business.

"Wh -- Hey! Dante?!" Lady scowled at his shrinking back, before securing Kalina Ann onto her back and taking off after him, doing her best to keep that red coat in sight in her exhausted state.

Dante had dramatically collapsed to his knees in front of the ruins that used to be his shop, a look of complete despair on his face.

"_Why me...?_" Lady could hear him whine pathetically as she got close and slowed to a stop next to where Dante was knelt. 

"Oh wow. Is this the business you were going on about?" She said, taking in the sight of what was left of it. "Looks like a bomb went off in there."

The half devil whipped his head up to glare at her.

"Sorry." Lady put her hands up apologetically and took a step back as Dante got to his feet.

He made his way towards his shop, little dust clouds from the rubble forming around his scuffed boots with every step he took. Dante reached out and ran a gloved hand along one of the chunks of the building blocking the entrance. It almost seemed like a tender moment, until he grabbed it from the bottom, and with his newfound devil strength, launched it into the air away from the shop. 

"Hey!" Lady yelled, lurching forward as Dante did the same to the next chunk of rock blocking the door. "Dante! Stop!" She grabbed his shoulder and pulled him away from the rubble, forcing him to face her. "You can't just throw this everywhere, you'll end up creating more mess somewhere else, dumbass!"

Dante frowned and shook the little bits of rubble and stone from his white hair like a dog. "What else am I gonna do?! I spent every last penny I had on this damn building! Now it's nothing but a pile of rubble, and I've got no money to fix it!" He barked, before clenching a gloved fist and smashing it into the nearest piece of wall, causing it to crack and crumble to the ground, only fueling the half devil's anger and frustration.

"_Dante!_" Lady cried out and grabbed his hand to pull him away before he could wreak anymore havoc on the grave of his shop. 

He let her yank him away and tried to get his breathing even again, keeping his icy blue eyes trained somewhere over her head. Dante felt the gentle touch of a small hand on the side of his arm and the gentle voice of Lady saying his name, and could feel himself start to calm down.

Lady could see that he'd started to relax a little, and slowly moved her hand to rest on his shoulder. "Hey...Look at me." When he didn't respond, she asked him again. When he complied, Lady couldn't help the tiny smile that formed on her lips.

The small pout on his face made him look like a cute lost little puppy.

Slowly and carefully, she rose up onto the balls of her feet and lifted a hand to start gently picking out leftover bits of rubble from his hair, and smoothed it down when she was done.

_Soft_, she thought.

_Cute_, he thought.

"......Thanks." Dante mumbled, heat rising to his cheeks, only feeling a bit better when he noticed Lady was just as red as he probably was.

Lady coughed and stepped away. "No problem." She wasn't exactly sure why she did that, but it seemed to help Dante calm down, so she figured either way it didn't matter.

The two of them stood in silence for a few moments, before Dante looked back up at the remains of the building and sighed. "Well....I don't know what I'm gonna do about this, but I guess not completely destroying it would be a start, huh?"

"A good start." Lady chuckled a little, glad that the silence had been broken, and took another look at the entrance they stood in front of. "You didn't have a name for it?" She asked, noticing the lack of any sort of sign or plaque.

Dante shook his head. "Not when I'd finished decking it out, no. But, uh, I think I know what to name it now, thanks to a certain lady I know." He turned and grinned at her.

She gave him a puzzled look. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Eh, don't worry about it."

"Riiiight...." She frowned at the half devil suspiciously for a few seconds, before letting it go and sliding Kalina Ann off her back to rest it against a nearby wall. "Well, are there any payphones around here? I have a few calls to make, for your sake."

It was his turn to be puzzled. "Uh, yeah, but what do you mean for my sake?"

She stretched her arms up and leaned back slightly to loosen her back up a bit, her shirt rising to show off more of her toned midriff, which Dante definitely stared at this time. "You wanna get this place fixed up, right? I know a few guys back home who'd be able to do it."

"But I --"

"--And I'll pay for it. I get discounts from them anyway, so it's not like the price will be through the roof."

For the first time in forever, Dante was speechless. All he could do was stand there, staring at the girl in front of him. The girl who had gone from the beastly little thing shooting him in the head and picking fights with him, to the soft, cute, and caring girl that stood before him.

The half devil's heart fluttered a little.

He squashed the feeling down as best he could.

"........Why?" Was all he could muster.

When Lady looked at him, the only way he could describe the look she gave him was...tender. It was a look he hadn't been on the receiving end of for a long, long time. And she was beautiful.

His heart fluttered again.

This time, it was harder to squish down.

"Dante...you...have helped me more than you know. I know now that if you didn't stop me from going after Arkham, I wouldn't be standing here with you. I was so blinded by rage and hate, disregarded your feelings right up until you pinned me against that bookcase, looked me in the eyes and told me you'd take care of it. You were a cocky, obnoxious jerk about it, but you were genuine. And you stayed true to your word. Thanks to you, I was able to rid this world, and myself, of Arkham.

"I've spent what's felt like a lifetime full of spite, hellbent on hunting him down and killing him for what he did, and what he planned on doing. Now...I'm _free_."

Lady wasn't sure if it was just a trick of the light or exhaustion, but when she looked at Dante while she spoke, she noticed how blue his eyes were, how sharp his facial features were, how strong his arms looked, and just how _handsome_ he was.

Her heart fluttered.

And in that moment, she let it.

"I -- uh -- you'll be paying me back for it all, mind you!" She spluttered, cheeks bright pink. "Y'know, once your business is up and running smoothly."

Dante blinked at her, before breaking into a chuckle, his own cheeks still pink from Lady's praise and thanks. "Of course, I'd never dream of you letting me off easy."

Lady grinned, then rummaged around in one of her ammo pouches and pulled out what looked like a keycard. "Here, this is my key for the hotel I booked around here. I didn't know how long I'd be here for, so I just payed them enough to last a couple of months. I'll be leaving once I make that call, so feel free to use my room til your place is done up." She grabbed one of his hands and pressed the keycard into his palm.

With his free hand, Dante scratched the back of his head. "I'll be honest, I don't really know what to say. I'm guessing I'll be paying you back for the hotel too?" He asked, pushing the card into one of his pockets.

"How about _'thank you'_? But no, I'll let you off on that one. My treat." She said, picking Kalina Ann back up and securing her onto her back once more. "Where's the nearest payphone again?"

"Uh, down there and round the corner. You can't miss it." Dante gestured as he spoke, pointing her in the direction she needed to go. 

"Got it." She nodded and adjusted the strap on her shoulder.

There was silence between them again for a few moments, before Lady spoke again, softly this time.

"Dante?"

"Hm?"

Quickly, Lady placed a hand on his shoulder to steady herself as she rose up onto the balls of her feet and gently pressed her lips to Dante's cheek, lingering for a few moments before pulling away.

"Thank you, for everything." 

With that, Lady began her walk down the road to the payphone, turning only to give Dante a little wave before going round the corner. She knew it wasn't goodbye, but her heart clenched nonetheless.

All Dante could do was stand and gaze at Lady's back as she made her way down the street, his fingers ghosting over where Lady's lips had just been. Though his heart sank the further away she got, he knew this wasn't the end for them.

He'd see her again, and even if that's not what fate had in mind, he'd fight tooth and nail for it.

**Author's Note:**

> it's almost 2:30am, i havent proofread this and i have to be up in 7 hours so please take it from me


End file.
